Video experts continually seek to develop new and improved video processing algorithms for improving the quality of video images. The primary goal is to obtain the highest quality video image possible. In a video processing system, one or more video processing algorithms are applied to a video stream to modify the characteristics of the video stream to obtain the highest level of video quality.
For example, in a television set, a video signal stream may be processed by a number of video functions. These video functions may include sharpness enhancement, noise reduction, color correction, and other similar video image processing techniques. Each video function may have one or more control parameters that must be set to particular values. The values of the control parameter settings affect the quality of the video image. Furthermore, the order in which the various video functions are applied may also affect the quality of the video image.
As video systems are developed, new types of video processing algorithms are constantly being introduced. In addition, older types of video processing algorithms are constantly being refined. The capabilities of video processing algorithms tend to increase over time. Similarly, the implementation complexity of video processing algorithms also tends to increase over time.
Video processing algorithms are usually developed and evaluated in isolation from the video processing systems in which they will ultimately be used. After evaluation, the individual video processing algorithms are combined in a video processing system such as a television, set-top box, or other type of consumer product.
The final video image quality obtainable by a chain of video processing algorithms in a video processing system strongly depends on the interaction of all of the various constituent video processing algorithms. This interaction depends on the control parameter settings for each algorithm, the amount of data being transferred between sequential algorithms as well as the order of the sequential algorithms in the video processing chain. Ad hoc methods have long been available to determine the best control parameter settings for a sequence of video processing algorithms. However, the currently available ad hoc methods for optimizing the overall video image quality are very time consuming and do not guarantee the best possible result.
There is therefore a need in the art for a system and method that will provide a thorough analysis of the interaction of video processing algorithms in a chain of video processing algorithms. There is also a need in the art for a system and method that will provide a formal simulation environment for testing the interaction of video processing algorithms to find the optimum combination of control parameter settings to provide a high quality video image.
There is also a need in the art for a system and method that will enable the optimum order of video processing algorithms to be determined. There is also a need in the art for a system and method that will enable the best settings for the control parameters of the video processing algorithms to be determined. There is also a need in the art for a system and method that will enable the best settings for the bit precision parameter of the video processing algorithms to be determined.